Chapter 18 Water Vapor You are a cloud made of water vapor
The chaos and noise finally came to an end, and the summer camp training gradually got back on track. Sawada Tsunayoshi touched on basic training again and was surprised to find that the projects that had made him suffer so much two months ago were now becoming increasingly easy for him.
Summer brings the hottest time of the year, and you can even see sweltering heat waves on the grass outside the stadium. When Tsuna looks up in a daze during training, he can even feel that the blurry leaves are scorching hot, burning fiercely under the blazing sun.
Indoor air conditioning undoubtedly saved everyone. The wealthy sponsors had high hopes for these future volleyball stars and were worried that the high temperatures would scorch the children, so they shipped equipment to the club in batches.
"...The first half of summer camp has come to an end today. Everyone should go home and get some rest. In a few days, we will begin a new round of intensive training..."
The veteran coach stood at the front, speaking calmly and unhurriedly as he summarized the training results of the past period.
Sawada Tsunayoshi rested his chin on his hand, the cool air from the air conditioner brushing against his hair, and exchanged a sweet smile with Akaashi Kyoji, who was listening attentively. Beside them, Hyuga and the others were dozing off, playing volleyball in their dreams to the old coach's dull, hypnotic voice.
Once the afternoon sun wasn't so harsh, Suzuki drove Tsuna and Hinata away. He guessed Tsuna had slept well during the meeting, as Hinata, unusually, didn't fall asleep in the car and whispered to Tsuna, their heads close together.
"Tsuna-kun, go buy some seasonings for Mom."
Okay.
Sawada Tsunayoshi opened the door. The Hyuga residence was peaceful and harmonious. When he passed by the other party's door, he could not see anyone inside. He guessed that Xiao Xiang was chatting with his mother and little sister about training.
I wonder if they'll talk about game consoles?
Laughing at his own imagined scenario, Sawada Tsunayoshi headed towards the shops in town.
It was a rare day off from training, so he strolled leisurely along the roadside. Although the air was still hot and the sun was not exactly gentle as it approached evening.
He picked out the seasonings his mother wanted from memory, and when he went to pay, he was surprised to find that the prices had gone up in just two weeks.
"Protection fee, huh?" The boss noticed Tsuna's shock and said this with a self-deprecating tone, but there wasn't much fear in his expression.
Protection fee—Sawada Tsunayoshi pondered this unfamiliar yet all-too-familiar word in his mind.
People living in Namimori know that the town is known for its simple and honest people. Every now and then, gangsters from different areas would start a fight, and everyone was used to seeing several underworld groups fighting each other.
However, precisely because of this, none of the factions are willing to submit to the others. Forget about protection fees, even the maintenance costs required for fighting are a problem.
But have these fiercely competitive guys finally chosen the strongest one to take over and start collecting protection money?
Sawada Tsunayoshi used his not-so-sharp brain to figure it all out, his pupils dilated in shock. He hadn't even noticed it before, but as he walked home, he found the road eerily quiet.
Remembering the shopkeeper's bewildered look as he left and the special instruction he received, Tsuna silently hugged himself and kept his distance from other people on the street.
For ordinary Namimori residents, the change in local power has little to do with them; at most, it just means paying more money in exchange for a chance to do business peacefully.
This time, even the residents' behavior was restricted!
Sawada Tsunayoshi was completely baffled by this bizarre request. This time, the leader of the criminal organization was another eccentric character.
Oh no! This is even more terrifying!
I should tell Xiaoxiang when I get back. He's only been in Namimori for a few months, so he probably doesn't know much about these things yet.
However, today will obviously not end so easily.
Summer is always like a carefree child; one second the sun shines brightly in the cloudless sky, and the sunlight gradually turns orange-yellow.
Then, it rained.
Without warning, catching everyone off guard.
Large raindrops pattered into the earth, causing clouds of dust. The scorching ground reacted immediately upon contact with the water droplets, and a layer of white mist rose from the ground.
"Ah!" Sawada Tsunayoshi exclaimed in a short, urgent voice.
Not wanting to catch a cold or fever, he covered his head, looked around, and jogged to the bus stop.
Let's wait for the rain to stop. Luckily, there's a place here to take shelter from the rain.
The sunlight still shone directly from the sky, refracting through the water droplets to create a rainbow of colors. Except for the brief period of chaos when it first started raining, the streets were now quiet and deserted.
Raindrops splashed everywhere, soaking Tsunayoshi's trouser legs and even his shirt became damp. He stood there for a while, but the rain showed no signs of letting up.
Feeling a bit tired, Tsuna jumped around a few times before finally squatting down with his knees drawn up to his chest. He watched the ants on the ground busily carrying away their stored food. After a while, seemingly finding the dense swarm of insects a little frightening, he silently looked away and returned his gaze to the sky.
The teacher said that water vapor will turn into clouds, and then turn into rain and fall back to earth.
Sawada Tsunayoshi really enjoys these little stories about the weather. Look, under the sky, the weather is ever-changing, yet it contains everything.
But there are no clouds here.
Under the vast, desolate dome, little Sawada Tsunayoshi took shelter from the rain.
Rain without clouds doesn't last long; this is a conclusion that Tsuna has drawn from a long period of observation.
The piercing clash of weapons shattered the silence, tearing apart a corner of the misty world and revealing the scattered colors behind it.
Sawada Tsunayoshi looked up at just the right moment, and at that moment the fighting stopped abruptly, becoming completely silent, yet accompanied by footsteps, a melodious piano piece began to play.
Raindrops washed over his wounds. He held a silver crutch in his hand, his black hair was wet and stuck to his face, and his fair face was bruised.
In the vast curtain of rain, the boy appeared so small and fragile.
But he walked without the slightest hesitation, his steps firm, weaving a melodious tune with the sound of dripping water.
The rain was still falling. It was summer vacation, but the other person was wearing a school uniform, seemingly oblivious to the sticky, wet clothes. With a slight glance from his phoenix eyes, he lifted his foot and left.
Sawada Tsunayoshi squatted on the ground, and for the first time, he had the urge to shout.
"that,"
A strange courage compelled him to stand up, his fingers twisting and turning over the plastic bag in his hand, making a rustling sound.
"Do you want to take shelter here from the rain for a while?"
He was clearly a passerby himself, yet he extended an invitation to a fellow passerby, with the address on it being—Namimori-cho Bus Stop.
The sharp-tongued young man stopped in his tracks, as if he had heard something interesting. He turned around and walked towards the platform, a bloodthirsty smile on his lips.
The courage that Tsuna had finally mustered vanished without a trace. Forced to retreat by the murderous aura of the newcomer, he was not given many steps to go.
The boy stopped outside the platform, scrutinizing Tsunayoshi with the look in his eyes as if he had spotted some interesting prey.
Are you inviting me to a group gathering?
If the answer is "yes," it feels like the crutch in this person's hand would smash hard on his head.
Sawada Tsunayoshi's fur, which had been limp from the moisture, perked up again. He raised his hands and shook his head repeatedly.
"No! It's just that the rain is too heavy!"
He hurriedly explained.
The boy suppressed his smile, frowned as if deep in thought, and raindrops dripped down his cheeks. Tsuna remained silent, completely behaving himself.
The newcomer raised a sharp weapon in his hand, and the chilling white light made Tsuna instinctively close his eyes.
Ugh, I knew I was going to get beaten up!
He wailed inwardly, but the pain was slow to arrive. He quietly opened his eyes and found the cripple standing right in front of him.
Even the ferocious beast encountered something it couldn't understand. It put away its weapon and said, "Strange little animal."
Having made up his mind, he walked down to the platform and stood on the other side.
Huh? You weren't hit?
Sawada Tsunayoshi couldn't help but follow the boy's gaze, and when he saw that the other boy hadn't done anything, he breathed a sigh of relief.
But what's with all these little animals?!
Tsuna silently wept, thinking, "I'll never pick up random people again, sob sob."
The boy's arrival made the humidity under the platform even worse. In his peripheral vision, the boy, who was not much older than him, closed his eyes to rest. Water droplets dripped from his hair and fell onto the ground, forming a puddle.
Sawada Tsunayoshi fumbled for a few sheets of paper in his pocket.
If he didn't have one, he certainly wouldn't want to get too involved with the fierce-looking boy, but the fact is, he did.
I'll just hand out the paper then. If he doesn't take it, it's none of my business. He can't see it anyway, with his eyes closed.
Tsuna comforted himself with this thought, and to put his mind at ease, he gritted his teeth and reached out to place the tissue in front of the boy.
Like the force of falling cherry blossoms, the tissue was taken away lightly. Sawada Tsunayoshi looked up in surprise and found that the other person's dark eyes were staring at him.
Like a frightened rabbit, Tsuna jumped back a few steps and headed to the other side of the platform.
Hibari Kyoya gripped the tissue in his hand, which still retained the child's warm body temperature. Perhaps the rain had taken away his body heat, and his somewhat hypothermic body couldn't help but rejoice at this touch of warmth.
Puzzled as to why the other person jumped away, he followed closely and stood beside Tsunayoshi, taking a soft tissue to wipe the water from the child's face amidst the child's terrified expression.
Perhaps because the boy didn't suddenly lash out and beat him up, Sawada Tsunayoshi also put away his soft thorns, and his soft hair added a touch of docility.
The moisture on his body was so heavy that the dampness enveloped Tsunayoshi as well.
Perhaps this is what it feels like to be in the clouds.
The boy beside her was a cloud made of water vapor.
They stopped talking and waited quietly for the rain to stop.
Not long after, a tall boy with unusual hair appeared hurriedly from the street corner, holding an umbrella. Several other people stood far behind him, but they were too far away for Tsuna to see clearly.
"Lord Hibari, I am so sorry, I am late in bringing the umbrella!"
He spoke breathlessly, his back soaked by rain despite holding an umbrella and wearing a school uniform.
When he saw Sawada Tsunayoshi, he paused for a moment for some reason, and instead of coming closer, he stood a few steps away and respectfully handed an umbrella to the boy next to Tsunayoshi.
Hibari Kyoya seemed to only just remember this person; he didn't think much of it.
"You, give him the umbrella."
he?
Tetsuo Kusakabe thought of the frail boy beside him who seemed to disappear into a crowd, and understood.
He handed his unopened umbrella to the bewildered Sawada Tsunayoshi, then stayed behind and watched Hibari Kyoya leave with his umbrella.
Before leaving, Hibari Kyoya left some advice for the small animals that he thought were somewhat decent.
"Do not gather in groups in front of me."
Tsunayoshi, who was about to refuse, and Kusakabe, who had lost his umbrella, were left standing there bewildered.
A note from the author:
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Writing this felt like going back to my happy hometown. I guess I'm definitely better at shipping (couples) after all.
Actually, I just really like childhood friend literature [cat emoji]
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